'Argylle' Is An Overly Familiar Espionage Story
Like General Hux proclaiming, "I am the spy!" in The Rise of Skywalker, Argylle is filled with so many eye-rolling twists it stumbles all over itself. I found more occasions scratching my head than being shocked with each plot element revealed. The film intentionally makes a fool of itself. It's a comedic spy thriller that has some good laughs but a convoluted plot that is perhaps meant to be all over the place. There are enough double-crosses to make you chuckle as it's supposed to. The central plot of the film is interesting until it becomes dull. It's another flick that thinks it's smarter than it really is. It's a "what if" type movie that has been played before, and much better. You can think of Argylle as a funny mixture between The Bourne Identity and James Bond. The idea sounds great. Even some of the execution is well done. But what's left on the plate in the end is an overplayed parody that isn't all that smart.
The movie starts like a James Bond film. Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) enters a crowded, high-class nightclub and encounters LaGrange (Dua Lipa), a beautiful yet deadly terrorist. It's Argylle's mission to obtain her, but she won't be easy to get. As a chase scene ensues, the scene ends with a cameo from John Cena playing Wyatt, a spy in Argylle's agency who's there to help apprehend LaGrange. It turns out this entire opening sequence is a passage from Elly Conway's (Bryce Dallas Howard) book. Argylle is a popular book series that soon turns into a reality.
One day, while riding the train, Elly encounters a guy who looks like he's homeless. Not only that, but he's annoying, constantly bothering Elly when she wants to be left alone. It turns out this wasn't your average street hustler but an actual spy, far removed from the attractive Henry Cavill. It's how a spy would look in reality. He isn't a glossy man but a common-looking person who could blend into any environment easily. On the train, the spy ceases a bunch of heavily armed terrorists from taking Elly's life. Here's where the plot begins to take off. Elly's a novelist whose book's outcomes can change the course of history. There's a secret organization that's after a master file that only Elly can reveal how to uncover it. The way she can do that is through her writing.
In a script similar to Alan Wake, the writer becomes a sort of God. Their work will shape what happens in real life. Although the spy that saved Elly isn't Argylle, but rather, his name is Aidan (Sam Rockwell); he's an embodiment of what Elly wrote. Aidan informs Elly that she must write an ending so the good guys can get to the master file before the bad guys do. What's encrypted in the file, or why it's important, is explained but still unclear. It's simply a MacGuffin that needs to be obtained, putting every character on the clock. As the race to obtain the master file ensues, the film's plot unfolds in a series of predictable twists.
Argylle is loaded with plot twists that will keep you guessing until the end; in most films, that would be a good thing. But in Argylle, it negatively affects the narrative. There are so many moments of someone turning out to be another spy it's ridiculous. Even if it's meant to be, it just doesn't always work. The twists are inserted into the film for the sake of being twists. I'll give the film some credit. There is one big plot twist that I didn't see coming, leaving me pleasantly surprised. But then it kept going until I could predict the whole plot straight through. Who's really working for who is all easy to guess. By the film's climactic moments, I didn't care who Elly was working for or why. I just wanted the flick to end.
At two hours and twenty minutes, Argylle feels bloated. The plot could have benefitted from having a less perplexing narrative and something more focused on a clear threat. I heard the same argument for The Marvels as I may with this film. "It's not that important if you don't know what the conflict is. Just enjoy the ride." I'd be able to enjoy it if I could understand it. What is this master file, and what does it contain? Why is everyone after it? Just like how the villain's motivation in The Marvels was puzzling, this film's threat isn't clear either. The main element to focus in Argylle isn't the MacGuffin's danger, but finding out who Elly really is. However, if I don't know what the peril is, then how can I invest in the stakes? With low stakes comes a mediocre film. Even worse, there's a huge plot element revolving around a character who's barely established. I kept asking myself, who the blazes is Keira? And why is she so vital?
It's a shame because the plot works for a while. When everything is being established, the film is at its most dynamic. We don't know why this agency is seeking Elly out until it's revealed halfway through the film's second act. It's a simple reason to write why, making the film just another spy movie. It's serviceable but forgettable. As an action film, the movie has its highs and lows. The opening chase scene has some spotty CGI, but there are some great shootouts loaded with some impressive choreography. There's a particular scene in which Elly uses spilled oil on the ground to skate her way across a group of rogue terrorists. The scene plays out like something from the Olympics, as Elly is a skating master. To make the action scenes better is, contemporary music that makes them hip and fun to follow.
As an action film/spy thriller, Argylle is servicable, but it doesn't have the same amazing scenery like the first Kingsman had. There's just nothing Matthew Vaughn has made that can top Colin Firth going postal on a bunch of bad guys in a church. Argylle's action is impressive to mediocre, with a plot that's more formulaic than creative. I may be in the minority on this one, but Argylle didn't wow me the way it did with my test audience. I wasn't gasping at the big reveals or bursting with laughter at all the cute cat scenes.
Argylle's foreseeable narrative and star-studded cast may be enough to win viewers over. Most of the cast gets their time to shine. There's a great role from Catherine O'Hara playing Elly's mom, Ruth. Bryan Cranston chews up the scenery as the menacing Ritter, Henry Cavill gives his best audition for James Bond, and Bryce Dallas Howard shines. Still, for all its charm, Argylle is a familiar mission taken dozens of times before.
